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Constitution

Constitution

Secular Student Alliance: University of Michigan Preamble
The underlying purpose of the Secular Student Alliance is to bring
about a society in which the ideals of critical and scientific inquiry,
secularism, and reason flourish. While many organizations exist to
spread these values in the adult population, our focus is on advancing
these values among students.
We of the Secular Student Alliance are dedicated to improving the
public image of non-religious people. We reject faith-based dogma and
defend science, reason, and compassion. We accept both the fallibility
and the importance of human beliefs and believe in the principles of
equality, justice, truth, and human rights.
We at the SSA stand for the belief that people can be Good without God. Our core objectives:
1. To raise student awareness of issues of importance to the freethought community and the benefits of freethought.
2. To provide the atheist, agnostic, secular, and humanist students
at the University of Michigan with a safe and comfortable community.
3. To defend rational questioning of all beliefs, religious,
superstitious, ethical, and scientific, in the ongoing search for truth,
while educating the public about reason and critical thinking.
4. To promote positive and correct ideas about non-religious people
and lifestyles through engagement in and service of our communities.
5. To defend high standards of education, especially when attacked by proponents of irrationality or dogma.
6. To raise public awareness of religious extremism in all its forms.
7. To educate the public about religious freedom, religious tolerance, and the separation of church and state.
8. To foster dialogue with the diverse religious community on campus. Elections, Officers, Amendments, and Voting
Once a year at the end of the Winter Semester, the Alliance will
elect officers, also referred to as the executive board, for the
following year. Further elections will be held throughout the year as
vacancies or impeachments occur. Election by the Alliance membership is
necessary to hold office, and no executive appointments to officer
positions will be considered valid. A single person may hold more than
one office if elected by the Alliance membership to do so. Motions to
amend the Constitution may be made at any time. Only certain members, as
described in the following section, will be allowed to run for office
or participate in voting. Range voting will be used to elect officers,
and simple majority voting will be used for amendments, with measures
taken in both cases to include absentee opinion. Officers are expected
to work together as a team and play multifaceted roles within the
organization. The elected offices are as follows:

Vice President: Assumes the role of president in the president’s absence and is responsible for public relations.

Secretary: Is the assistant to the president and is responsible for recording meeting notes and attendance.

Activism Chair: Should coordinate all external events designed to influence non-members.

Social Chair: Should coordinate all internal events designed for the enjoyment of our members.

Community Service Chair: Should coordinate all the philanthropic activities of the group.

Treasurer: Should keep track of all funds allocated to the SSA and be the organizer of all fundraising events.

Historian: Should regularly capture the club’s
activities with photographs, videos, and various other multimedia for
future nostalgia purposes.

Webmaster: Should maintain and update the group’s various online accounts.

Membership
Most meetings and events are open to the general public, and anyone
who desires may be added to the email list (subject to the outlined
disciplinary procedures). To be eligible to run for office and
participate in voting, a member must attend at least half of all weekly
meetings in the year prior to a vote, or alternatively at least half of
all weekly meetings since the year the member joined (if more than one
year). This status is available to students, alumni, or members of the
general public. SSA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or
veteran status. Financing
Group finances come from various sources, such as the Philosophy
Department, National Secular Student Alliance, and Central Student
Government. Additionally, the group may perform fundraising activities
such as t-shirt and bake sales. Funds are kept in the group’s SOAS
account at the University and in a private bank account. Signers for the
SOAS account will include the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and
Secretary. The bank account owners will include the Treasurer and two
other officers designated by the President. The Treasurer will be
responsible for keeping track of all transactions. All money spent must
be for legitimate SSA purposes, and must be approved by another officer.
Any overdraft fees are to be paid by the officer who made the
overdraft. Any abuse of financial privileges by an officer will result
in immediate dismissal from the executive board.

Disciplinary Procedures Email removal
A first misuse of email privileges shall warrant a written warning
from an officer to cease. A member shall be removed by the President or
Vice President after a second offense. The removed member can appeal his
or her removal by having a meeting with at least three members of the
executive board.
If deemed necessary, the President has the authority to immediately
remove any member from the email list without prior knowledge or
discussion. Within 24 hours of such an immediate removal, the President
must notify the other officers, they must come to a consensus about the
removal of this member, and they must meet with and notify the removed
member. Impeachment of an Officer
Motions for the impeachment of an officer and subsequent removal from
office may be made by any voting member(s) during the business portion
of any meeting for any reason. The member(s) making the motion will have
up to 5 minutes to make their case for the impeachment, and then the
officer in question will have up to 5 minutes to respond. If additional
members wish to speak on behalf of either party, they will have up to 3
minutes each to do so. A vote will then be held, and a 2/3 majority will
be necessary for the removal of that officer from his or her elected
position. Another officer will take over the removed officer’s duties
until an election can be held for replacement. Suspension
If a member of the Alliance is causing a disruption or making other
students feel uncomfortable or threatened, he or she must be notified of
the complaints and asked to explain his or her behavior to the
executive board, preferably in person if considered safe. After the
meeting, his or her membership may be suspended by a three-quarters
decision of the executive board. The suspended member must be notified
of the suspension within 48 hours of the decision. The suspended member
must be given a specific reason for his or her suspension. The
suspension will be for an agreed upon time, between a single week and
two months.
Suspended members will not be allowed to attend any SSA meetings or
events. Suspension also includes removal from the email list. Once the
suspension is over, at least three members of the executive board will
meet with the suspended member to determine if said member is fit to
rejoin the group. At the end of this meeting, those executive board
members present must either welcome the member back into the group or
initiate a ban as described in the following section. No member shall be
suspended more than once for the same behavior. Banning Attendees
A member may be banned from further participation with the SSA if the
nature of his or her behavior requires it. No suspension is necessary
prior to a ban, though it is preferred as a first response. The member
must be notified and asked to explain his or her behavior to the
executive board, preferably in person if considered safe. After the
meeting, a three-quarters vote by the executive board will put the
motion up to a vote by all voting members of the SSA (as described in
the Membership section), with measures taken to include absentee
opinions. The member will be allowed 7 minutes at a general meeting to
make his or her position known to the group, the officers will be
allowed the same, and a majority approval is required to implement the
ban. Banning also includes removal from the email list. This is a
lifetime ban, though the banned member may appeal his or her ban after
four months by having a meeting with at least three members of the
executive board. The entire board will then meet to review the case and
determine whether or not to revoke the ban. Non-Compliance
If at any point in the previously outlined disciplinary processes the
member under consideration refuses to adhere to the outlined procedure
above, the executive board may ban said member outright with a
three-fourths vote.

University Policies
The SSA adheres to all policies outlined in the University’s Student Code of Conduct.